Gardai have not been not telling the vast majority of crime victims about the help available from Victim Support, according to the findings of a recent Garda survey. But this is set to change, following the launch yesterday of a partnership agreement between Victim Support and the Garda Síochána to ensure all victims are informed about the group.
All gardaí have been issued with an information card to offer to every victim of crime. Gardaí also intend to follow this with a letter to the victim.
There are more than 200 crimes reported every day in this State.
Ms Lillian McGovern, Victim Support chief executive, said people may decline the offer of help from the group but it was very important that the offer was made.
People may not seek help immediately after a crime, but may find they need support six months later, she said.
The number of people contacting Victim Support fell from 7,714 in 1999 to 4,861 last year and Victim Support said the lack of information from gardaí was a factor.
Chief Supt Patrick Cregg, head of the community relations division, said the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, had acknowledged the need for improvement in this area. His concern was reflected in the 2003 policing plan and in the new partnership, Chief Supt Cregg said.
He said gardaí also had to be careful not to infringe people's privacy by referring them to Victim Support without their permission.
Meanwhile, Victim Support yesterday blamed the relaxing of licensing laws for the increase in street violence.
Ms McGovern said there had been "a huge surge" in the rate of personal crime since longer pub opening hours were introduced in the summer of 2000.
Many crimes involved unprovoked assaults of young men in the 17 to 25 age bracket.
"Anecdotally, people are just telling more horrific stories all the time," she said.
Prior to 2000, property crime was the most common crime reported to Victim Support but since then, personal crime had risen dramatically, she said. It accounted for 35 per cent of cases reported to Victim Support last year, while burglaries accounted for 27 per cent.
Victim Support also believes that the incidence of crime is hugely under-reported.
Of the 4,861 people who contacted the organisation last year, some 1,331 said they had not reported the crime to gardaí. Many of these involved assaults on young men.
In these cases, the initial call to Victim Support was often made by parents, concerned that their son was still suffering the after-effects of an assault several months later.
Some mothers reported that their sons were carrying weapons to protect themselves following an assault, Ms McGovern said.
She said it was not the role of Victim Support to call for a change in the licensing laws, but it was clear that there was a problem.
